STUNNED: LEANN OUSTED
The tide has turned at Alinta, where the all-woman alliance that dated back to the Yasur tribe was finally broken. Viewed as increasingly arrogant, the pact led by Ami Cusack, the 31-year-old barista from Lakewood, Colorado, was betrayed by Scout Cloud Lee, the 59-year-old rancher/entrepreneur from Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Twila Tanner, the 41-year-old highway repair worker from Marshall, Missouri, who teamed up with chopping block regulars Chris Daugherty, the 34-year-old highway construction worker from South Vienna, Ohio, and Eliza Orlins, the 21-year-old pre-law student from Syracuse, New York, in order to vote out Leann Slaby, the 35-year-old research assistant from Kansasville, Wisconsin in a shocking four-to-three decision.
Shortly after the fateful decision, an astonished Leann remarked, "I just got done saying how it wasn't a life-or-death situation for me at today's Challenge. I was fooled. I was fooled big time. I feel like the world's biggest idiot."
ONE MAN STANDING
After returning from Tribal Council in which Chad Crittenden, the 35-year-old teacher from Oakland, California, was voted out, Chris found himself the only male left in Alinta, thus on the chopping block. Chad's ouster proved that the alliance of women had stayed their course, which left Chris with little hope. In an attempt to break this rock-solid alliance, Chris reported the sins of Scout and Twila to the rest of girls. As he put it, "I opened up a can of worms. I narced out Scout and Twila. I let them know that they conspired with me and Chad for an alliance. I just mixed things up."
LOVE FROM HOME
As the tribe convened for a Reward Challenge, host Jeff Probst surprised them by announcing that the winner would get to communicate with a loved one for one hour via a computer satellite hook-up. Everyone would get a one-minute taste of this coveted contact before the Challenge started. Without further ado, Jeff Probst led the homesick Survivors to a tent where the equipment was all set up.
In extremely emotional and tearful exchanges, each Survivor shared a minute with their loved one. Twila started off with her son before Leann got to share with her friend. Eliza's moment was with her mother, and Julie's was with her friend. Scout was ecstatic to communicate with her partner, then Amy spoke with her girlfriend before Chris took the chance to confirm to his girlfriend that they were going to get married.
REWARD CHALLENGE: PLAYED OUT
As the tribe got set for the Challenge, Jeff Probst explained that this was to be a test of their memory about what has " played out" in the previous Challenges of this season. A series of questions would be asked, with the player answering the most correctly winning the reward of communicating via the satellite feed for one full hour.
The Survivors proved to have good memories as everyone answered the first two questions correctly. After a question involving the first Reward Challenge of SURVIVOR: VANUATU, the competition wound up tied between Julie and Eliza. In a sudden-death question involving The Memory Game, Eliza answered more items correctly than Julie to secure herself the Reward.
In an incredible twist, Jeff Probst announced that the loved ones, who were speaking on the computer, were actually just a few feet away in a makeshift studio. Eliza's Reward was actually a whole night at camp with her mother as opposed to the hour she thought she had won. Jeff Probst then invited the loved ones out for a tearful reunion with the Survivors.
SCOUT'S HONOR
Thrilled as could be, Eliza showed her mother the Alinta camp. While Eliza enjoyed reuniting with her mother, the core of the Alinta alliance, Ami and Leann, cornered Scout to ask where her loyalties really lied. After much discussion, Scout assured the women her aim was true. "When I came out here, I was determined to play the game with integrity, honesty and truth. And if that didn't work, I'd lie, cheat and steal," confessed Scout.
ON MY SON'S LIFE
After creating gifts from things found around the island, the members of Alinta gave their offerings to Eliza's mother to distribute to their loved ones. Ami and Leann then stole away with Twila to see whether she was on board with the alliance. Emphatic, Twila swore on her son's life that she intended to stay the course with the pact. "I swore to Ami and Leann on my son's name that I was with them one hundred percent. But maybe if I win a million dollars, God will forgive me," smirked Twila. ^:)^
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: LOVE IS BLIND
As the tribe converged for the Challenge, Jeff Probst shocked the Castaways again by explaining that the loved ones hadn't left and would actually be involved in the competition. The seven remaining Survivors must sit atop individual towers, looking down over a field of obstacles. On "go," the Survivors must verbally direct their blindfolded loved ones through the field of obstacles to retrieve bags of puzzle pieces. Once all bags were retrieved, the player and their loved one would remove the blindfold and assemble the puzzle. The first player to finish the puzzle would win Immunity.
The Challenge started off in chaos as the loved ones struggled to hear their individual Survivor's voices. Ami and her girlfriend started out with an early lead while Leann and her friend fell quickly behind. As the competition continued, Ami and her girlfriend assembled the three bags, followed quickly by Chris and his fiancée. The race turned into a puzzle-making competition between Chris and fiancée vs. Ami and girlfriend.
As Ami set the final piece of her puzzle into position, Chris was forced to turn to his fiancée and explain that he would most likely be coming home that night.
CHRIS: THE KEY MASTER
Shortly after returning from the Immunity Challenge, the pact of Alinta women convened to agree on whom they would vote off. Breaking away from the all-female theme, the women decided that Chris deserved to stay over Eliza. After Chris was told he'd been spared, Twila explained that he could change the whole complexion of the game. As she put it, "You've held the key and you haven't realized it."
And in the end, Chris did hold the key as he joined with Eliza, Scout, and Twila to finally break the alliance of women that have ruled for so long. In an absolutely stunning twist of fate, Leann suffered the four out of seven votes that made her the twelfth Castaway voted out of SURVIVOR: VANUATU. Leann will be the third Survivor to serve on the Jury that will ultimately decide who wins the title of Sole Survivor and takes home the million-dollar prize.
